I don't get a chance to listen to Dr. Laura much any more, but there was a period in which I was a faithful listener. I have a good friend who can't stand to listen to her because she's so blunt (he would say "verbally abusive") to callers. That may or may not be (she gets some pretty unbearable callers!), but what is important to me is that she is consistent.
When I first wrote about the Manhattan Declaration (January 20), I said that I don't agree with brothers who are concerned about the spiritual articulation and pedigrees of some of the signers. But at least the Orthodox and Roman Catholic signers confess to be Christians. Dr. Laura does not. She is an observant Jew, which means she takes the commands of God seriously and shapes her life around them. Although I haven't read it, I understand that her book about the Ten Commandments would be edifying for any Christian to read.
And on the subject of traditional marriage, she is a valuable co-belligerent. Whenever a caller, either brazenly or embarrasedly, admits to sexual co-habitation in an unmarried state, Dr. Laura (consistently) quips, "So you're shacking up?" It is clearly meant to be pejorative, and when framed as a question, it always elicits the humble answer,"..yyyyes, Dr. Laura." (Nobody talks back to a Jewish mother!).
So consistent has Dr. Laura been with this tactic, that most callers are no longer shocked by it, and seem to be prepared for it. Dr. Laura has blown past the euphemism of "living together" to reframe the conversation in a Biblical manner. In our politically "sensitive" times, this is rare and much-needed candor. She has changed the way many people look at this simply by her use of language. She has also earned the right to be heard by the consistent and valuable answers she gives to the callers. If she were just a crackpot with attitude, people would have quit calling a long time ago.
That's being a "witness for truth," in the language of the Manhattan Declaration. Thank you for being a co-belligerent, Dr. Laura.
I too, used to be a fairly regular listener to Dr. Laura. In fact, I credit her for a pardigm shift in my own life that helped me deal with some personal issues. There was a woman that called into the show that was terribly upset and in a lot of emotional pain because her mother was such a jerk. The woman was weeping on the call. It was very moving. Dr. Laura responded by saying that she needed to let her mother go. Her mother would never be the mother that this woman needed and to move past this, what this woman should do was to become the mother that hers wasn't and fill that need for others. God's love is so amazing that the empty vessel, when poured out, can supply enough for two. That metaphor of the empty vessel has stuck with me for many years and is the essence of Christian love, God's love. Love is the creative force. It does not diminish, but rather multiplies when spent. Dr. Laura is always good people in my book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the personal illustration, Dave.
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